Guardians of World's Harmony
by yagiza
Summary: How will a small change in the past affect the future? What if the Biju are not exactly what everyone thought? The world of shinobi is about to find out. New Chapter
1. Prologue

**Guardians of World's Harmony**

**Prologue**

The history of the Shinobi World is one full of mystery and secrets, like its inhabitants themselves. Nobody knows anymore, how the era of ninja has started or where and when it has begun – the knowledge has been lost long time ago.

Though, something still remains of it in the world: bits and pieces in form of legends, stories, myths – assumptions of how it might have happened. Some confirm, some oppose each other; some are more believable while others are considered mere tales.

But as different as they may be, there is one thing they all share: they have survived, one generation after another. They remained in the minds of the elders and were told to the children. Some might not have been known throughout whole countries or by many people, but they still haven't been forgotten in the end.

One such legend tells about nine demons of unimaginable powers and strength, nature disasters, who roamed the earth, leaving small bits of their energy wherever they went; in the earth, the plants, animals as well as humans – and it changed them. The powers manifested itself in the bodies and surfaces it came in contact with, unnoticed at first, until one day the energy broke forth in lots of different ways. To understand what was happening a group of people got together and began to study their new powers. They analysed, compared and experimented – and eventually found what they searched for: a hidden source, invisible for the lone eye – pure energy that would soon become known as _chakra_.

Another, similar story says on the other hand that the demons presented their powers to those humans, whom the deemed worthy and who earned their respect – and they taught them how to get success to the new energy. The demons then parted ways, going to different lands, to guard the live in them, watching how their gift would be used … but also, if necessary, to intervene should it be abused.

The widest known legend, though, by many even entitled as the "true history", is one wholly different: the legend of a sage – the sage of the six paths. A mere mortal human, born with powers that were said equalled those of the gods themselves – connecting him to the six realms of existence: god, human, hell, demon, ghost and animal – the six paths. A power used to create the very first jutsu the world had ever seen.

It's hard to tell what legends – or better what parts of them – are the truth or not, chances are it will never be known.

… But maybe, just maybe … somewhere … somehow … the true history of the Shinobi World still exists … and will someday awaken … to return to the world … should need arise … when its harmony is threatened …

* * *

I had this short introduction already written before uploading the first chapter, but only in German. But in the end, I decided to translate it and put it in here as a prologue, so don't be confused. The once first chapter is still the same.

* * *

Don't own Naruto.


	2. Chapter 1: Assignment

**Guardians of World's Harmony**

* * *

"..." - speech

'...' - thought

'INNER SAKURA'

* * *

**Chapter 1: Assignment**

‚It seems like everyone is here now', with that thought Sarutobi Hiruzen (An: Is this his real name?) took in the view in front of him. With a calculating gaze he looked at every single occupant in his office, all of the 25 ninjas ranging from rookie jounin to elite ones. Especially on one of the last group, even if he didn't seem like it on the outside, his gaze lingered for some more seconds with a slight tinge of worry before he began to speak.

"As I'm sure, the majority of you may already know, or at least suspect, why you are here", seeing confirmation in the nodding of heads, he continued. "As of yesterday, 24 of this year's graduation class passed the exam and are now qualified to test for genin. Every one of you showed the necessary abilities and skill required for a jounin instructor, but now I ask you: Who of you would be willing to take on the responsibility of a genin squad leader?"

Silence took over the room, everyone knew this question would be asked and all of them were ready to give the answer, but nobody wanted to be the first one to make a call. 'The same as every year, heh', Sarutobi smiled knowingly to himself. 'Well, let's see who has the courage to go first this time. What luck that Guy passed his team last year, even remembering the selection sends shivers down my back …', shuddering at the thought of Guy, he brought his attention back to the case on hand. 'Hm, if I had to guess, I'd put my money on –'

"Ladies first then, I guess. I would like to take on a team."

"Yuuhi Kurenai", ending his thought by speaking it out loud, the old hokage addressed the young, and quite beautiful, kunoichi in front of him. "I'm sure some genin would benefit from your knowledge. So, who else would like to try?"

With the initial stone thrown in the ring, it wasn't long until six more jounin stood calmly besides Kurenai. Sarutobi happily noted his son Asuma among them, seeing it as a way to flatten the rocky ground between them a little more. Hearing a book suddenly be shut and tucked away, he couldn't help but feeling a sudden shower of worry, fear, curiosity, but also a little bit of hope rushing over him. So, he slowly turned his head to acknowledge the eight and last candidate, whom he knew beforehand, would agree. Fighting back the bad feelings, he once again turned to the rest who didn't take him up on his offer by now and seeing as none of them seemed to complain about the choices, he nodded.

"As nobody else is about to change his/her mind, all except you eight are dismissed", and with a wave of his hand, the room quickly cleared out. Silently regarding his options in front of him, he readied himself for the battle that surely was going to start about which genin would be on whose team, or in at least one case let's better say, was not going to be. 'Well, better get this over with', opening a folder in front of him, he took out a pile of papers with names and assessments of the graduates. "First I would like to know if one of you already has someone you would like to train under you?"

* * *

**Two hours later – academy**

Nervousness hung all over the room. All of the 23 students occupying it knew what was going to happen today: they would officially be shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, the village hidden in the leaf, and, oh man, how it was gonna be great!

As unsure they were about their future, their excitement overshadowed it by far and so, they used their adrenalin and energy to pass the time while they were waiting for their academy instructor to come and place them on a team. Some boys could be seen sitting in the back chatting happily or playing cards – and hereby cheating, of course, they were ninja after all; Meanwhile, others were either munching one bag of potato chips after another or lazily sleeping on the desk, dreaming about watching clouds and how those were murdering crazy, screeching fan girls with Silencing jutsu.

Speaking of the girls, well, all except one silent little girl in the back, were circling, screaming and fighting (guess who) one another over and around one person, a brooding blackhead trying his hardest to ignore all the touches and confessions of love thrown in his direction while moving as little as possible and avoiding the tempting thoughts similar to those dreams before, except with sharp kunai instead of clouds and jutsu.

All the while, none of them noticed the small figure slowly entering the classroom and taking a seat in an empty row, staring out of the window. It's not until one lazy pineapple head rose up form his desk being blinded by a 'kill me'-screaming bundle of neon orange, that the figure was noticed at last.

"Oi, Naruto, what are you doing here? This class is for graduates only", the lazy guy called out for the boy sitting by the window, catching the attention of the rest of the class.

Caught off guard, the boy jumped in his seat, causing his stool to fall backwards, taking the boy with it. Immediately, a storm of laughter broke loose, some of the kids pointing directly at the blonde boy lying on the ground and rubbing his head out of pain, while grinning like and idiot, before pointing at his forehead to show it covered by a leaf hitai-ate. "Troublesome", the boy acknowledged before, again, laying down his head on the desk.

It was this moment that their sensei decided to grace them with his presence. The laughter quickly died down and everybody took a seat, of course, not before a loud struggle between a blond and a pink haired teen as to who would get to sit next to their object of desire. None of them spent another glance on the blonde boy on the ground, whose smile had vanished the moment the others gaze turned away from him, only to be replaced by a look of determination and a clenched fist to ready himself for what was coming.

"Welcome all of you and congratulations on passing the exam as of now, you are considered adults in the eyes of the ninja, with all the responsibilities to come with it, so don't disappoint us. The way of the ninja is hard, but if you trust in yourselves and your friends and comrades, I am sure you will succeed in everything you do. Now pay close attention as I will call out your names and the teams you have been assigned to …"

* * *

'Why, of all the people, does it have to be _him'_, that thought passed through one of the three teen's mind. 'He's gonna be annoying the hell out of me. Why can't he just disappear and leave Sasuke-kun and me alone, he is only going to hold us back. And Sasuke-kun is now pissed too and doesn't speak to me because this dead-last decided to pull some stunt to pass the exam. Sure as hell he knew that he would be placed on our team and wanted to mess with Sasuke-kun's and my love.' 'YEAH; IT'S ALL THE BAKA'S FAULT. LET'S BEAT THE CRAP OUTTA HIM!'

Scowling, the pink-haired girl turned to the boy at the window. "Oi, Naruto-baka!" No reaction. 'What's up with him?' 'HE'S SO ANNOYING!' She clenched her hand in a fist and strode towards the silent boy. "Hey, I called out for you, Naruto-baka", and with that her fist connected quite powerful with Naruto's scalp, shocking the boy and sending him to the ground again, the second time that day.

'Hn, being hit by one of the weakest girls, if not _the weakest,_ in class? What kind of a ninja are you, dope?" asked the last occupant of the room, who had turned his head to see what was going on. "Sasuke-kun is absolutely right" 'YEAH, AND THE PART OF ME BEING WEAK HE DIDN'T REALLY MEAN' "How did you pass anyway? You couldn't even produce a decent bunshin yesterday and I _know_ you failed the written test. No way could a stupid dead-last like you have been able to answer those questions." Crossing her arms in front of her chest, as if stating a fact, she looked at the blond, waiting for an explanation.

Naruto rubbed his head and turned to her, immediately putting up a goofy smile. "Sakura-chan, were you worried about me?" he asked the pink-haired girl happily.

"Worry?! Who the hell would worry about a baka like you?!" she screamed at him, punching him even harder this time. Glancing at her crush, she saw him scowling at the commotion and had to restrain herself from beating the blonde nuisance to a pile of crap for annoying her Sasuke-kun. Eventually, she turned around, not seeing the grin on the blonde's face fading away from his face nor the flash of pain it showed briefly, and walked back to her seat beside Sasuke.

'Arrgh, where the hell is our damn teacher? All the other teams left already three hours ago. Sasuke-kun is getting more and more annoyed of Naruto, why could the baka not be on another team … or better: just disappear and never come back, he surely wouldn't be missed …' 'YEAH; YOU ARE RIGHT – HEY! MAYBE SENSEI CAN REQUEST A REPLACEMENT FOR HIM. HE'S ONLY GOING TO HOLD US BACK AND SASUKE HAS TO GET STRONGER: I AM SURE THERE HAS TO BE A POSSIBILITY TO CHANGE THE TEAMS WHEN A SENSEI ASKS FOR!' At that thought Sakura smiled. 'That's it. Now sensei only needs to appear and Naruto-baka can get lost for all I care. I'm sure the moment sensei sees what of an idiot he is, he will change the teams. Yeah!'

As if on clue, the door of the classroom opened and a masked man walked in, at least he looked like a man to Sakura. She couldn't be sure, as the only part of him where you could tell that he even was human and not some walking pile of clothes was his right eye as well as a patch of gravity-defying, grey hair.

"Meet me on the roof in five minutes" the figure said and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

'Ah, here they come', the masked man thought as he was lazily sitting on the fence surrounding the rooftop, while he waited for the three genins to arrive. Slowly, they approached their new sensei.

The first was the dark one, Sasuke, hands in his pockets and a face that showed, or was supposed to show, that there was nothing he had to fear and care about. His whole body language screamed miles away 'I'm the best – out of my way.'

Not far behind, and in Sasuke's opinion not far enough, strolled the sole girl of the small group. Sakura's expression seemed to change according to her feelings – 'She will definitely have to work on that', the man noted – at a faster rate than the jounin would have thought possible, although to him it seemed almost like some kind of pattern in the changes as if the girl would be in some kind of conversation and reacted accordingly to her thoughts during the talk. 'Weird.' Reaching her sensei, she immediately mimicked Sasuke's movements and sat down, again not far enough for Sasuke, beside her crush, covering her face with her hands hiding her blush while constantly sending glances at the raven.

Last but not least, the third member also arrived, bearing a large grin on his face and hands behind the back of his head and joined his classmates on the small stairs.

Seeing that everybody was comfortable, not that he would mind if they weren't yet, the masked man spoke. "Well … ok … as it seems we are supposed to be a team from now on. So fist of all, I want you to tell us something about yourselves so we get to know each other a little." He looked expectantly to his pupils, waiting for one to start.

"Eh, sensei? What do you want to know exactly?" Sakura asked, not knowing what else to say. Hiding his surprise behind his mask, the man eyed the supposedly smartest girl of this years class before answering. "Mah, just some information. Like your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, your dream if you have one – doesn't really matter …" He sighed silently at the girl's confused expression and decided to start and get this over with.

"Ok, for example: I'm Hatake Kakashi. My likes are, well … I don't really dislike anything except some things. My hobbies aren't of your concern and my dream doesn't matter. So, now you – ladies first and all that."

Completely stunned for only learning about his name, the girl began. "My name is Haruno Sakura. My likes are … (insert giggle and glance at Sasuke), my hobbies are … (insert more giggles and another glance at Sasuke) and my dream is to … (insert combination of brackets before together with squeal and pink-like-her-hair blush)." At that point all three males had at least sweat dropped once and shared common thoughts of 'WTF!!' and 'Arrgh, FANGIRL!!!' before the introduction ended with a confident, for once, "And I hate Naruto!"

'…'

"Ok", the jounin said awaiting a reaction from mentioned blonde boy, but surprisingly none came. 'Hm, from the reports of their teachers it seemed like the boy had a little crush on Sakura, always trying to get her attention. But now, instead of being sad, he almost seems indifferent, as if he couldn't care less', thinking back he also noticed that Naruto wasn't quite the loudmouthed boy he had expected after reading al the reports of the various pranks he had played and from what he had heard from the teachers and the hokage. Oh, he seemed happy, hell, if his grin was any indication of his emotional status at the moment the jounin expected him to begin jumping around the next second. Nevertheless, something just didn't seem to be right. The question was what exactly. '…, mah, maybe just a bad day.' "So, how about the broody Uchiha next."

"Sasuke-kun isn't broody, Sensei! Don't say that", the girl spoke up while, again, a blush decorated her face, causing all three males around, again, to sweat drop.

"Hn", the black-haired boy commented, "I am Uchiha Sasuke. There are a lot of things I dislike and not much that I like. I have no hobbies and I don't need a dream as I have an ambition. I am going to kill a certain man and then restore my clan."

'Hell yeah … wait, did he say he wanted to restore his clan? ……… ME, ME, ME, ME, ME, ME, ME, DAMN IT, TAKE ME!!!'

'As expected from the last loyal Uchiha.'

'…'

After a couple of minutes in silence, Naruto at last decided to take the initiative, seeing as he was the only on who hadn't introduced himself yet.

"My turn it is", he laughed, preparing his speech. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I like ramen the most, especially the one Iruka-sensei teats me to at Ichiraku's. I don't like the three minutes it takes for the ramen to be cooked. My hobby is to compare different sorts of ramen. And my dream … my dream is to become the greatest hokage ever, one that will surpass all the ones before. Then people will respect me and acknowledge my existence." With that he stretched out his arm in front of him, his hand in a fist. "Believe it!"

"Hn, as if a stupid dope like you could ever become hokage, loser" was the only reaction beside sceptical looks all around, followed by a "Sasuke-kun's absolutely right, idiot."

To prevent further aggravation and to keep the now frustrated Naruto form charging, the jounin interfered quickly. "Ok, ok, calm down now. You had your fun, back to business." That brought back the attention of the three teens. "It's time for me to explain a couple of things. First, tomorrow we will going to have al little test, kind of survival training", here he stops, enjoying the shocked faces, and one deep scowl, of his students at the news. "Before you tick out and scream at me, I will tell you why. It is necessary so we can see who of the graduates _really_ is ready to be a shinobi. Also, only nine of all graduates will be allowed to become genin, the others will be sent back to the academy."

At that time some expressions had changed: Naruto seemed even more shocked, tough with a tiny hint of determination manifesting itself in his eyes. Sakura on the other hand looked like she was going to explode at the news and Sasuke, well; said boy was clenching his hands in front of him, his face showing no doubt that he was going to pass anyway.

Well then, see you tomorrow at training ground 7, six o'clock in the morning. Oh, and one last thing: Better don't eat any breakfast, you might throw up." And with a last wave of his hand, the masked ninja puffed away, leaving the three to their own thoughts. 'So, I have a broody genius with talent and an avenger-complex, a fan girl per definition and … well, seems like it's going to be interesting tomorrow.'

* * *

Next Chapter: Final Exam

* * *

Ok, that's it - first chapter of my first story up - hurray!!!

I know it's not very different from the original story, but don't worry, it will be later. As for mistakes: please bare with me, english is not my native language and it's not really part of my everyday life, at least not writing it myself. If there's anything you don't understand because of bad writing, just ask. As for questions regarding what happens in the story itself I'll try to answer as long as it will not be part of future chapters.

Hope you enjoyed it nontheless (or at least a little bit :-))

Don't own Naruto, unfortunately.


	3. Chapter 2: Ramen Interlude

**Guardians of World's Harmony**

* * *

"…"– speech

'…'– thought

* * *

**Chapter 2: Ramen Interlude**

Ayame was worried. Something seemed to bother the young boy in front of her. That in itself wasn't what scared her that much tough. It was how the boy showed his emotions outwardly that troubled her and her father, not to mention that the slowly cooling ramen on the counter was still untouched.

A really, really bad sign.

Normally, when troubled by something, the boy would hide behind that false grin, talking about this and that, until he accidentally touch on the subject on his mind, before going on about something else or solely concentrating on his ramen. But this time, he did the exact opposite, just sitting on the stool and staring in empty space … for nearly fifteen minutes already without saying a word or even recognising their presence. It made the pair wonder if Naruto even knew where he was.

After another five minutes, and removing the by now definitely cold ramen, Ayame couldn't bear it any longer and shook the boy by his shoulder. "Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun, hey. What's the matter with you today? Is everything alright? Do you feel ill?"

The boy jumped, shocked by the sudden closeness and concern in the voice, but soon he realized where he was and to whom the voice belonged. "S-Sorry, Ayame-chan. Guess I … I spaced out a little … was thinking about some stuff … ", he murmured and smiled, but only weakly.

Seeing him trying to put on a mask – and failing miserably – the girl decided it was time for some sisterly advice. "Naruto-kun", she tightened her grip on his shoulder slightly, so that the boy would look at her. "I know something's bothering you. You seem so sad and forlorn the last two days. At first I thought it was because you failed the exam again, but seeing the hitai-ate on your forehead I was wrong in my assumption. So please, Naruto, tell me, maybe I am able to help you."

Then she saw his face going blank, like he tried to ignore whatever problem it was. She went around the counter and took his head in her hands. "I'll try to help as best as I can, I promise. Think about it: Sometimes, if something is to big to take on alone, it is easier to succeed by splitting it up in smaller pieces between more parties. A shared burden is a lot easier to carry, isn't it?"

For a few moments, the boy seemed to consider her offer, but soon enough, he shook his head slightly. "Thanks, really. I am glad that there is somebody who cares about me." He said, no louder than a whisper, but loud enough for the girl to hear. She could see the sincerity of this statement in his eyes.

"But … I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk about it right now, maybe later on, when I have cleared my mind a little. Would that be alright?"

Receiving a smile as answer, he felt easier, hurting her feelings was the last thing he wanted to do. But having been taken back to reality, he suddenly also remembered another issue that would have to be dealt with immediately: his really, really empty stomach, which hadn't gotten any food (read: ramen, ramen and yeah, ramen) since the morning. Instantly, he ordered a few bowls, his previous thoughts somewhere back in his mind, and for the moment he instead just felt content with the way things were.

After a while, Ayame initiated also a little discussion with the blond, about new kinds of ramen and what he did the whole day. She was happy to see the boy back to his cheerful self, but couldn't help but notice his reluctance to talk about his graduation, as just the day before she had to but a bowl before him to even get a minute of silence.

'Did something happen? But what could be so bad for him to not even be able to talk about? I know there were a lot of rumours around, about him failing miserably; but that's impossible, as he's wearing a hitai-ate now, right?'

All he spoke of was the graduation in general, basic things like how it's usually done, and told her about, for some of the students, embrassing moments, especially during the taijutsu test. At one of the stories even Ayame and Teuchi had to laugh out loud, joining their young friend in his fun as he recounted all the happenings, only regretting that he unfortunately, or surprisingly for Ayame and her father, hadn't had a hand them.

Eventually, the topic came to his new team and the girl wondered if maybe he wouldn't talk about it too. But luckily, Naruto had no intention to stop now.

"Well, my team is kinda weird, but hey, I am too, so it fits. Right?" Chuckling he put down his chopsticks to drink the rest of the ramen. "First there is Sasuke. Uchiha. Bastard. What? He really is a teme. Only talks when he's insulting me, but … ah, yeah, I guess he IS a good ninja – and just so you know: if you tell anybody what you just heard, I WILL DENY it even unter torture, though I don't unterstand why everyone seems to think he is some hind of kami, especially the girls …" Here he shuddered, remembering some of his many – rather painfully – encounters with the fangirls. "I mean, sure, he is an orphan like me and he also seems to live alone, but that's really no reason to brood around and to not give a damn about the feelings of others. The girls may be annoying, but if he would have taken the time to get to know them and more importantly, let them get to know him, the real him and not some kind of mystery or ideal, then I am sure most of them would see that he isn't really what they want; that they have nothing in common. Then they would automatically stop stalking and annoying him. As for him, maybe he would even find a girl that he could like, or at least he would have the chance to make some close friends … I would do everything for such a chance …" The last part he wispered so quietly, Ayame nearly didn't catch it, but before she could return some comforting words, the boy continued.

"Then there is Sakura. I …I really liked her, and she is really beautiful … but she always hits me, regardless of what I do or not do. As if me being near her would start some chemical reaction or something. I don't know. So I guess it's better I stay away from he-"

"Wait, wait! Sakura? THE Sakura? The girl you always went on about and wanted to date – she is on your team? …wow … But …what changed? Yesterday you were sure that it would be the day when the girl would agree to go on a date with you and you told me how great it would be if she were on your team. It's as if , eh, your whole point of view … turned upside down, changed … and also the way you seem to look at a, well, not really a problem, but … eh, sorry, sorry Naruto. It's just, you look the same as always and partly you also act like the you I know, but then suddenly you seem to be more – mature, for a lack of better word. Please, don't misunderstand me here, it's just surprising so all of a sudden, and well, to say the truth a little worrying too. Naruto-kun, this sudden 'change' in behaviour, is it maybe in any kind 'related' to the reason why you are so down?"

Watching the boy's body stiffen and his eyes staring straight on the counter, the girl knew she had assumed right, but immidiatly regretted her inquiry and tried to get back to the topic itself. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. I didn't want prey. How about you tell me of your sensei. He's a jounin, isn't he? I'm sure you'll learn a lot from him."

Thankful for the slip, he continued where he had stopped, and began ranting about lazy, one-eyed, walking piles of clothes with voices and how he probably got the only jounin in all of Konoha, hell, all the elemental countries, who would be late even to his own funeral if he could help it. And about why because of that, so the boy conluded, his sensei might suffer from Chronical Lateness Disease, or CLD for short, and that he for himself decided to take the risk and to also show up at least one hour later than the actual time sat. In the very least it would show that lazy sensei how it felt to be left waiting.

After a rather long talk about various things (without bringing or even mentioning the 'problem' again), a large amount of ramen, Naruto eventually called it a day and bit the girl and her father goodnight.

"He has matured the last day … too much in that short amount of time if you ask me", she whispered to her father without taking her eyes from the back of the retreating boy until he disappeared in the approaching darkness of the night. Her father could see the worry cleary in her eyes.

"Matured, you say? Or maybe the boy never was like we thought him to be." With those last words, the cook turned around to close down his shop for the day, not intending to respond to the curious glance he was sure his daughter shot in his direction.

* * *

Ok, so this is the third chapter. Originally, it was part of the next one, but due to the length I decided to split it up. The part is not very long, but I decided there will be more chapters like this one, as I find it interesting what owners of restaurants, especially bars etc experience all in their life.

Sorry for the long wait, but I just didn't find the time to write, as much as I would've wanted. Studies before fun, or something like that. Buuuut … god praises summer vacation, and that's now, even if there is still some work to do.

But I hope to be able to submit at least once a week or every two weeks. The next chapter is as good as written down, but has still to be typed and because I am me, I sure as hell know that there will be some changes while in that process.

And before I forget: Thanks for the last review, I was really happy to know that there's somebody who's awaiting the next chapter.

Don't own Naruto.


	4. Chapter 3: Final Exam

**Guardians of World's Harmony**

* * *

"…"– speech

'…'– thought

* * *

**Chapter 3: Final Exam**

_Jumping hastily from tree to tree, he clutched tightly the large object in his hands. The tiredness grew, spreading through his entire body. He had already used a large amount of chakra before all this started; normally, he wouldn't mind that, but the fear and confusion, as well as something deep inside, that somehow manifested in himself and was trying to get out – all of those factors also sucked up his reserves on a very fast rate and he knew that at some point he would have to rest somewhere, if only for a bit._

_He landed right behind a large treetrunk, about to collapes right there on the ground, when he suddenly felt something sharp penetrating several places of his body, the force behind shoving him backwards and pinning him to the trunk. He gave a loud cry and closed his eyes at the sudden pain that rocked through his body._

_"Well, well, well …look what I have found here in the middle of the night …"_

* * *

A loud ring sounded through the air.

Eyes shot open, cover in blond strands that were glued to a sweaty forehead. "That dream again …" the boy mumbled half asleep and took a look at the watch on his nighttable.

From the light coming through the window beside his bed, he guess room, he guessed it was about 7 o'clock, maybe a little later. Blinking to get accustumed to the semi-dark room, he was finally able to read the time.

'7:36 … it's time then. Sensei was about three hours late yesterday, without plausibel couse. I need about an hour to get ready and go to the meeting point, so if I'm right about his tardiness I'd be on time easily.'

With that the boy got out of bed to go through his morning process, including ramen, of course, as he didnÄt want to be hungry during an important test (and in his sleepy state – he was so no morning person – he forgot the 'warning' of the day before). However, at long last, he was on his way to the training field, of which he was quite surprised as he found out its directions.

'This is quite near to THAT place. Maybe just a coincidents …', he mused while nearing the large field where he was supposed to meet with his teammates. His mind, again, began to driffed of to the dream, or memories, that somehow always plagued him sinch that night, and the foreign geelings that had awoken in him.

"Damn, Naruto, you idiot. You. Are. Late!!! Do you want us to fail? Arrgh … sensei should disqualify you beforehand for your tardiness." The scream ended his thoughts aprubtly, so he scanned the area for his sensei. Then he just shrugged and walked over to sit down at the base of one of the trainingsposts that stood in the middle of the field.

"As I see it, he too is late to his own made appointment, so I am sure he won't mind even if you tell him, as otherwise he won't even know about it."

The logic behind that statement neither of the others could deny – literally – as both were to shocked at something like that coming from the 'deadlast', and it was enough to fill the field with silence for the time being.

* * *

_The voice. HIS voice. He had been found._

_His breath became heavier, the pain that raced through his body halted all of his movements, as did the projectiles nailing him to the tree. He couldn't run anymore. _

_Only one thought repeated itself in his mind over and over. 'Why? Why me?' Like a mantra, hoping to somehow find an answer. But he didn't._

_Only after a short while – and being nearly numb from the pain – he willed himself to slowly open his eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of a young man with silver-white hair that reflected the moonlight falling throught the trees in the clearing. He stood only a few feet in front of him while chuckling madly._

_He knew him. A man to whom only a few hours earlier he had looked up to, whom he was grateful to and whom he trusted as a student would his teacher. Now though, he knew better; all that happened that day since he left the classroom up until now only reassured him in his believe that trust really shouldn't be easily given away. Because if you do, you will be betrayed. _

_Yeah. After being bribed into stealing from the old man, to being attacked by a 'trustworthy' person and seeing another getting severly injured as well as getting lost and eventually caught and pinned to a trunk after an as it seemed endless chase through the dark woods of the night, his conviction of that grew stronger and stronger every minute._

_"Why are you doing this?", Naruto whispered, barely loud enough for the man to hear. Grinning, the man answered._

_"He he, you little shit. You really have no idea what power lies hidden in this scroll, do you? My master will be pleased when I give it to him. He will grant me power no one could even imagine … haha, and do you know what is best?" His face took on an evil mask and he reached behind his back to remove the large shuriken. "The best is that nobody will blame me, but you. You were the one who took the scroll and so everybody will assume that you also were the one who killed Iruka when he caught you fleeing with it." _

_At the indication of his sensei's death, the man that saved his life a while ago and whom he left behind out of fear, Naruto's eyes widened in shock and his body started to tremble._

"_Hehehe … and what's even better: Nobody will even suspect me, quite the contrary in fact. Once I get rid of you the whole village will celebrate me as the hero who_ _defeated the demon that took the lifes of their loved ones …Now DIE!" And with that he drew back his right arm, holding the grand shuriken in his hand, ready to throw it straight at the imobile target._

_For Naruto, time seemed to slow down, his eyes and mind solely focusing on the weapon hurling his way. Neither did he hear the sound of the forest nor smell or fell anything at all. All there was, was darkness, death, the inevitable end. So for the last time he closed his eyes, awaiting the pain that would soon follow._

_And waited …_

_and waited …_

_but nothing happened. No pain. No feeling of being cut in half or sliced up. Nothing._

'_Is it already over? Is that what death feels like? Like nothing has changed?'_

_Hesitating a little, he wanted to open his eyes again to see what was going on, when suddenly something wet hit his right cheek. His eyes flying open, he first saw only a silhouette, but soon happiness began to spread as he recognised it, like a light had been brought in a room full of darkness. Only one word left his lips, even he himself didn't realise it. "Why?"_

"_Beca – cough – cause, we are – cough – the same …"_

* * *

For the second time that day, Naruto felt himself being pulled out of the memory by loud noises, or in this case voices.

At first, he wasn't sure who they were or what exactly they said, his mind trying to return where the memory was cut off while his body kept up the process of waking up, leaving the boy in delirium. But the voices grew louder, stronger – he realised they were talking to him, calling out his name and –

"Argh, damn it , you baka! Wake up!" punched him hard in the face, sending him flying sideways.

Stepping in before the boy received further beating, the new arrival on the field spoke up. "Ok, now that all of you are here … and awake, we will begin the test." The grey-haired jounin took two small bells out of one of his pockets in his vest and bound them to the waistband of his pants.

He waited a moment to be sure that he had his students' full attention, then continued to explain. " It's now nearly 10 am, so you have two hours to get those bells from me. To pass you must have a bell when time's up and you'll also get to eat one of the lunches I brought. Who doesn't get a bell, on the other hand, will fail immidiatly, be tied to a post while watching the others eat and last but not least, he will be sent back to the academy for another year. So you better come at me with the intend to kill, without holding back, or you definitely won't succeed. Any questions?"

Slightly shocked, Sakura hold up her hand. "But, sensei, there are only two bells and we are three. What will happen to the one who won't get a bell regardless?"

"Why, the same of course. Why should he be allowed to be a ninja if he's too slow to get a job done before another does. The two bells are an inssurance, because as you said one will fail regardless and the total number of genin will be automatically cout down by at least a third."

Comprehending the jounins words and what serious business this test was, the eyes of the teens widened in shock for a moment before becoming serious with the rest of their bodies getting ready to begin.

"Well then, the test starts NOW!" With a wave of his hand, Kakashi gave the signal to begin and watched his three 'opponents' leap away in the shadows of the trees.

* * *

'Alright, girl, focus. Take a deep breathe and concentrate.' Sakura closed her eyes and treid to let her body's nervousness disappear. No sound or movement. Be calm. Become one with the shadow. One with the nature. An important skill every shinobi learned at the beginning of his carrier.

'A shinobi's life is dangerous, death is his steady compangion, his business. It awaits him and could embrace him in any moment, especially when it's not expected. Shinobis are shadows of death, there is no such thing as a 'fair' fight. Take advantage whenever you can. A good shinobi is a silent one. Silence means stealth. Being stealthy allows you to stay hidden. Hiding gives time to observe and to surprise. Surprising your enemy provides a chance. The chance to kill the enemy before he kills you.'

She remembered every word that her teachers had said and what she read about being a shinobi. Every rule burned in her mind , like breathing of air. As such, Sakura knew the jounin hadn't been joking when he said to come at him with the intend to kill. They were expected to use everything they knew, every skill, as little as it may be, or fail the test. And it was exactly that what made the nervousness race uncontrolled through her body and fear shaking her to her bones.

Of course, she had no doubt in her mind that Sasuke would, easily, be able to get a bell from Kakashi. After all, he was a true genius, the 'Rookie of the Year' and the last Uchiha; no way he would fail.

Unfortunately, she also knew with equal certainity that regardless of what she would try, whatever skill or knowledge she would use, that it definitly wouldn't be enough to even come in the near range of the bells to even try. She didn't blind herself by some kind of imaginery figure or ideal picture of her abilities. She was smart, oh yes, really smart, able to memorize all kind of information within minutes if no seconds, and was able to solve the most difficult problems even some jounin might not be able to; short: she could handle everthing with ease that required book-knowledge and a lot of mind capacity.

But … she also knew there was a reason as to why she had always been at the bottom of the academy class when it came to real physical skill and ability. Yes, she had excellent chakra control, what she was very proud of t, and was quite competent in casting the three basic justus taught to academy students, but that was as far as her skills went.

Her stamina was low, even for a and academy student – of the first year – as were her strenght – except when in rage or hitting the blonde idiot – and speed, not to mention her chakra capicity. So yes, yes she knew she had definitly no chance of getting a bell on her own. Tough, somehow, she didn't seem to be concerned about it; nervous, of course, afraid, more than she ever was, but not concerned.

'Because there is no chance in hell that I will fail and let another girl get on Sasuke-kun's team. No way! I'm sure once Sasuke-kun attacks, it will be one of the shortest matches Kakashi-sensei ever fought in. And then, when Sasuke-kun has got the bells, he will give one of them to me and we will be a 'team' together … in every aspect … and he will ask me out on a date, and buy flowers, and Ino will be totally jealous, and he will hug me and then, … and then he will …' [mental giggles and squeals – she is still hiding]

* * *

Somewhere on the opposite side of the field, another dark shadow watched the events, or lack thereof, on the ground, while staying hidden on a large treebranch.

'Ok, there he is' His mind already began to form various plans and strategies to get one of the bells. 'Or maybe both?'

He smirked at the thought that occurred to him that moment. If he went after both bells instead of only one, the other two, as little a chance they had anyway, wouldn't be able to get one. And without one they would fail and not be able to hold him back or to interfere with his ambitions. Very soon he would be strong enough to get his revenge, to kill HIM.

'Both it is then. But first I have to prepare some things', with that thought, the black-haired boy jumped away from the field to start his operation 'Get the scarecrow'.

'Sensei won't know what hit him.'

* * *

"Damn!"

Someone cursed silently as again another small branch hit him directly in the face. 'Damn tree, damn branch … oh the hell!"

Quickly, he took out a kunai and slashed a few times in the wood before him, till nothing other then small pieces were left of it.

'Who the hell had the dump idea that ninjas need to stay hidden anyway? Ah … I would prefer to just go there and stump him in the ground, take the bellls and good is …'

'Yeah, as if I could …'

'I will try it …', he already began to move his body, but stopped again.

'Clones'

'What if I use my clones? They can attack him straight on and without me getting caught. Hehe …' He built the familiar cross-shaped sign and started to gather chakra.

'Different directions'

'I could send them all to attack from different positions and to different time, then I am able to surprise sensei …'

'Ambush'

'… some of them could hide and prepare traps, so that he won't be able to get away. Therewhile the others could keep him occupied and lead him directly into the trap …'

'Leave'

'… and while they attack I will go into hiding, in case the plan fails … Let's do it!'

Producing a bunch of clones and sending them away with their instructions, the boy for a moment took his head in his hands to try and ease the headache that was forming already, again.

He didn't know why his head hurt, he didn't get ill like all the others he knew, the headaches were the only thing that he ever head regarding illnesses; if you could even call them that, as he would only get them when he concentrated really hard on one thing. When he filtered his thoughts and willed himself to really think something through instead of letting his thoughts drifting to wherever they wanted as he did most of the time. Sometimes in the past, it would even hurt enough for him to pass out, and when he had woken up again he wasn't able to remember any of it. It felt like kind of a fight: with him in the middle of a group of others, which all were bound to himself by ropes, and all of them wanted in a different direction, pulling him with them while he tried to remain where he was.

But this time it was a bit different tough. Not the hurt, that was still the same, but concentrating seemed easier, there weren't as much various thoughts and pictures attacking his mind like it used to be, instead it seemed as if some of them tried to pull in the same direction as himself. Leaving him more of his energy and time to block out those he didn't need.

'If I think about it, it became like that after … na, maybe only my imagination.'

Shaking his head slightly as if trying to get rid of the pain, he eventually crawled out of his hiding place and jumped back in the trees.

* * *

'Hm, let's see what my dear students are up to at the moment. It has already been about fifteen minutes since the start and there wasn't an attack yet … I would have guessed that at least Naruto would have tried –'

"Yo, sensei."

'… by now. Well, here we go', turning around he immidiatly spotted the orange clad ninja-to-be.

"Naruto, has anyone ever told you about how a ninja should act or, let's say, about the element of surprise against a stronger opponent?" The man's hand reached in his pouch. He could already see the seat building up on the face of the young boy at that simple motion and he could read the nervousness that came while awaiting the appearance of the weapon that would definitly start the fight …

Tonk.

A noise of somebody falling to the ground could be heard, followed by a desperate scream.

"What's with that book?!"

'Ah, the best moments life offers, I really do appreciate them', the jounin thought happily at the stunned reaction of his student. 'The best indeed!'

"The book? Just ignore it. I promise it won't matter if I read during your attack or not. You are the deadlast after all; Sasuke on the other hand …"

More didn't need to be said, as the orange bundle already jumped straight at him, but with no luck. The jounin easily caught the boy's fist in his free hand and sidestepped the kicks that followed, holding the boy in a deadlock with a kunai on his neck before his victim even knew what happened to him.

"Shinobi Art – Part 1: Taijutsu" Pressing the weapon closer to the boy's throat to strengthen his statement. "That's why the element of surprise is vital for any shinobi. You were to shocked because of the book to realise my words were intended to provocate a direct attack against me. You fell in my trap like a bloody beginner. Haven't you learned anything in the academy?"

Naruto went silent at that, looking down on the ground. Kakashi guessed he was thinking about his words and decided to wait a little while longer before releasing the boy. 'Maybe this way he will learn to think first before taking action.'

"Haha"

Light chuckling reached the man's ear.

"Surprise is a useful tool for a ninja? Well then, sensei, SURPRISE!" And with that the jounin felt a strong shove from behind, causing him to fall forward on the genin … only to have him blowing up in his face.

* * *

Footsteps that could be heard in the forest came to a halt and a voice broke the sudden silence.

"What the …"

* * *

"A clone?! Shit …" Rolling quickly on his back, Kakashi saw another Naruto, the one that had tackled him. Stunned that the boy was able to come up to him from behind without being noticed, he nearly missed the new Naruto's attempt to take a bell. In the last second he was able to exchange himself with a wooden log from the side of the field, hoping to have confused the boy for a moment, but was shocked as again the 'boy' turned into a cloud of smoke as he crashed hard in the ground, unable to stop his attack in time.

'When these were all clones, where the hell is the real one?', the jounin thought, just before he had to avoid a shower of shuriken from his left side and another tackle from behind to keep him from evading the new projectiles that seemed to come from all directions.

Luckily for him, and unfortunately for the attacker, he wasn't a jounin for nothing and managed to jump in time on a tree branch before even one weapon could scratch him.

"Not bad for a deadlast, but still not good enough. It doesn't matter how much of you come at me, if you use the same tricks again and again you won't get even near enough of getting a bell. You will need other skills, without help or different techniques you won't succeed."

With that, the fight continued, and the clones surrounding him in the trees charged again.

* * *

Pain.

And again.

His head felt as if it would explode.

Images, actions, noises, feelings … his mind was getting overloaded. But those weren't normal thoughts. It was as if he himself had lived all of them. He saw himself holding onto the back of his sensei and then throwing a weapon from across of him, hitting himself … but that couldn't be right, could it?

He fell to his knees. His head again in his hands, holding it tightly. But the pain kept coming and getting even stronger and stronger. The thoughts were overwhealming him, new ones popping up and mixing with old ones, memories resurfacing, pressure building up as if trying to get out.

A dark night, two men fighting, coldness, fear, a familiar voice …

* * *

_Warm tears were hitting his cheeks, the familiar scent of the teacher thought dead coming to him as he stared at the face in front of him._

_"How sweet, really. And there I thought you were finally out of the way, but it seems like I missed my aim a little, eh. Well, this time you aren't so lucky. It's only a matter of time till you die. You've lost too much blood already", the silver-haired man chuckled as he watched the scene. "But I just have to ask: Why do you go to such lengths to save that demon. Wasn't he the one who killed your parents? Why do you protect him?"_

_"He is-isn't a de-demon …", the answer was cut short as the body covering Naruto slowly gave out and fell to the ground lifelessly. _

_Naruto couldn't look away. His eyes fixed on the body on the ground. His breath stopped, all became dead around him. Only a voice was heard …_

_"See that, demon. That was your doing. Your fault. You KILLED HIM."_

_Then suddenly everthing broke out. Thoughts, memories, hate, rage, fear … it build up, combining itself with the chakra inside his body. He could feel it. Blue, red, warm, cold, light, dark, good, evil – he didn't know how to describe what he was feeling. It was foreign, but at the same time familiar, but not his own._

_Pain rocked his body. Pain he never felt before. Power. Sheer power sprang forth trying to tear is body apart to get out him. Power full of malice. It tore forward, pressing outside to be free …_

_And then he saw only a glimpse of red and blue flames, fighting, connecting …_

* * *

And he screamed.

* * *

Ok, here it is.

Even tough I already have split it, it's still quite long – about 4000 words.

But hey, more to read then.

I hope this chapter will answer some of your questions about Naruto's behaviour, to some extend at least.

Till next time.

* * *

Don't own Naruto.


	5. Chapter 4: After Effect

**Guardians of World's Harmony**

* * *

"…"– speech

'…'– thought

* * *

**Chapter 4: After-Effect**

"Hokage-sama?"

Without taking his eyes off the report in front of him, said man drew a deep breathe from his pipe, reeling in the momentary feeling it caused in his body, and addressed the new occupant of the room.

"How did it go?"

Shaking his head slightly, the man closed his eyes for a moment to think about were to begin. "First, I went back to the same place to see if there were any traces left, but other than shredded trees and a huge crater, there was nothing. So I went in the direction it disappeared and continued my search, but there wasn't anything that would have shown that something had passed through. Whatever it was, it couldn't be physical. I was ready to break up and return here, when suddenly a shockwave hit me dead on. Knocked me probably out for a while, at least I found myself lying on the ground when I came by again. Tough I don't think it was released on purpose, as the hit didn't hurt me other than that. When I was steady again, I continued in the direction it came from. It hides behind one of the bigger hills a few miles outside of Konoha's borders, considering what we know lies behind there, my guess is that at the moment it is at the Elemental Cross …"

"What do you mean by 'guess'? Couldn't you confirm it?" Now Sarutobi raised his head.

Sighing, the other elaborated. "I tried to get near it, but the power it emits … it is too much. Like a barrier. I doubt anything could get through, at least for now. I think that maybe a Hyuuga should take a look at it, tough somehow I expect even their eyes to fail in this situation."

"I see", the Hokage again brought his eyes to the report as if he expected to find the answer there. "Elemental Cross … I really can't imagine what it would want to do there, whatever it may be. Hmm … what would you suggest that we do?"

"Well, when I was sure that I wouldn't be able to get nearer, I decided to put a charka barrier around it for now, to keep those shockwaves at bay should there be anymore of them. But as I didn't have enough tags with me to set up a strong one, I would recommend that you send one or two squads to strengthen and watch over it to see what will happen. Other than that, you should tell all the teams whose missions will take them through the immediate area of Elemental Cross to avoid it for now and to use another route, just in case. Luckily, this happens to be an are that civilians usually don't visit as there is no town near, so that won't be a problem … other than that, I really have no idea of why it is there or what it wants … or is for that matter."

Nodding in agreement, the Hokage took out a folder to look into. "How much of the area is affected?"

"From Elemental Cross … I'd say about everything in a four mile radius, more or less."

"Very well, I will send two Anbu-teams to observe it and prevent anybody from trying to enter the barrier. As well as a Hyuuga, with any luck they will be able to see something."

"If I may, Hokage-sama, it probably would be best if you also send Tenzou there. His … special abilities may come in handy for this kind of assignment."

"Yes, that was my intention also. One of the teams is his own." With that he put aside the folder in his hands and wrote down a notice. "Thank you for your report. I just hope we will be able to find something soon. The council's already breathing down my neck for answers. Well, you can go for now. But just to be sure, let the medic check you up as we don't know what exactly that shock-"

"To tell the truth, Hokage-sama, there is another issue I would like to talk about …"

Hearing the nervousness in those words, Sarutobi took the pipe out of his mouth as he somehow knew, what would come next, he surely wasn't going to like. "And what would that be about?"

Taking a deep breathe, the man tried to keep his feelings in check, tried not to tremble at the calculating, and he had to admit, a little bit frightening, look the old man was giving him. Being an elite ninja himself, he had seen a lot of bloodshed and had been in situations much worse than this one without feeling so much as fear. But this WAS the Hokage, an old one maybe, but a kage nonetheless. And to know what he had to say would probably not go over too well with his adversary wasn't really calming either.

Letting out an audible sigh while raising his eye up from the ground where it had been fixated for while, he began what he knew would become a heated discussion.

"Uzumaki Naruto"

* * *

Footsteps could be heard, the distinctive sound of sandals against the earthy ground of the woods. Here and there explosions going off and the clash of metal against each other.

Panting hard, he stood in the middle of the clearing, littered with small craters and hit targets. The sunlight shining through the branches of the trees was already beginning to fade away, leaving wide shadows stretching all over the ground. His clothes were already torn beyond repair, vivid evidence to the rough training that lay behind him, but he didn't care.

'How? How did he do it? Where did he get all that power? Who gave it to him? HIM? … I never felt anything even remotely that strong. Not even HIS power was …'

Giving into his exhaustion, his stand faltered and he fell on his knees, punching his fist hard in the ground in front of him.

'Why … why am I so weak? I need power … so why am I weak?'

* * *

Slowly she pulled the brush down her long hair. The dark orange sunlight that shone right on the small balcony of her room let the strands seemingly change colours. The intense pink tone became some kind of dark orange and yellow, sometimes even a mix of red and brown.

Yellow. Red.

Already images assaulted her mind. Blond, spiky hair, blue shining eyes and … flames.

Dark, cold, evil flames. Surrounding everything.

A scream.

As if someone's heart was torn apart in the most cruel and painful way. Literally.

No, no she could not allow her mind to go further. It had taken her more or less two days to not cry and scream out loud or huddling somewhere in the nearest and darkest corner whenever something reminded her of that horrible scene that occurred on that clearing.

'Think of something happy … come on …'

But she already felt warm tears running down her face, and saw the pictures she so desperately wanted to forget clearer than everything else directly in front of her eyes. All she could do was taking her head in her arms slowly rocking her upper body back and forth; hoping sleep would take her soon and stop this nightmare.

'Why can't he just disappear … please, please just disappear …'

* * *

Silence reigned in the office; neither of the two men took their gaze off each other. Everything else seemed forgotten for the moment, but eventually the silence was broken.

"What about him?"

Like a knife those words cut through the silence; a signal, that the game which both of them knew too well, had just begun.

"Hokage-sama, with al due respect, you know exactly what this is about-"

"I do", the older of the two replied, his eyes softening a little at the other as he knew this situation wasn't an easy one for the other to handle. "But I still hoped it wouldn't have come to this. As I remember, we already had this kind of conversation not too long ago. I thought you would have understood my reasoning back then …"

"That's not the point; the fact is that the situation has changed, severely. That … incident … changed everything. You can't just ignore it. This is no longer a matter of Naruto alone. What about his teammates? For all we know, it could happen again; at any time … it is too much of a risk to take …"

Sighing desperately, the man let himself fall in the chair standing in front of the occupied desk. He already felt the tiredness in all his limps, and he knew, he would need all his remaining energy to do what had to be done, to say what had to be said.

"So that's the reason? Really? Because you are worried about his teammates? As much as I would like to change that fact, but the life of a ninja is always dangerous, that they are taught from the moment they put their foot in the academy. You of all people should know that. Are you sure it's not anything else?"

"You know-"

"Exactly", Sarutobi took out his by now already burned out pipe and began to clean and refill it – like he had often done in the past few days, in fact A LOT MORE TIMES than usually, not to say healthy.

If someone would ask, he could truly say that by now he really felt every bit the age he was – plus ten more years, per day since that specific incident happened. The topic of Naruto's life, his past, present and future, just seemed to always have that effect on him; like paperwork and some other secrets that he even less wanted to think about and that were fortunately more likely forgotten forever than brought up to discussion.

Taking a deep breathe of tobacco, his stature changed again; this time quite visible, for anyone to see. No longer was there a powerful and frightening Hokage who had lived through more wars than any other and came out alive, but an elderly man, a grandfatherly figure who wanted to give care advice to anyone that needed or asked for it.

This gesture alone changed the whole atmosphere that would bring a dreadful feeling to everybody that would have entered the office. Now, there were no longer commander and soldier. Just two men who tried, each in their own way, to find what would be best for everyone.

"I know Naruto wasn't your first choice, or your second; the whole team wasn't really what you have expected. But I did so out of reason. You are the best person to teach them. You have the knowledge, the experience … but out of all you have the memories to do the right teaching, to help them develop themselves. Yes, I understand your reasoning about Naruto, and I also can understand your worries of him being in your care. But …" Here Sarutobi needed another puff of his pipe, as his next words would surely feel like a hit below the belt for the other man.

"But … HE would have wanted it to be that way."

The silence that followed was enough for Sarutobi to verify that.

"Yes"

The Hokage looked up to confirm what he heard as the word had been not louder than a whisper.

"Yes. Maybe he would have wanted me to teach him …his legacy. But that doesn't change the fact that I AM the most unsuited sensei for him. I told you that much already, even if you chose to ignore it. As for the whole team, if you can even call those three that … Hokage-sama, I really don't know what you have been thinking putting them together." Seeing the old man frown at his statement, he tried to elaborate before he could be interrupted.

"At first, when you have shown me the files and academic records, it seemed acceptable, not quite good and surely not great, but acceptable. Something you could work with. The only issue at that moment was Naruto, and I repeat: I am the worst choice to teach the boy, BECAUSE of my MEMORIES. Not because I have some stupid grudge against him or anything of that kind. I know better than that. The problem is that I have memories that in my opinion … really should be his … or at least should be shared with him … what I can't do. I won't be able to get close enough to him to help him and do for him what is needed to be done. To give him what he needs the most. Not at the moment. Maybe later on, when the distance those memories create will shorten, once he knows everything …"

He stopped here for a moment, sorting his thoughts to go back to the actual topic he wanted to talk about.

"Whatever, Sasuke and Sakura, it wasn't the greatest pairing; the fangirl and the object of her desire – never a good combination. But if she would be anything like Rin, as her records suggested, I could have handled it. Unfortunately, that wasn't, isn't the case. As for Sasuke, it was fitting for me to have him in my team, and until the incident he certainly was the least problem of all three, but now …"

"What do you mean by 'now'?"

Looking directly in the eyes of the Hokage, he began to tell the suspicions that built themselves in his mind over the last few days. "Hokage-sama, I really haven't wanted to talk to you again about what has already been discussed. Yes, the reason why I am here may be the same for the biggest part, but not because of me and my problems with the situation … but because of the friction the incident caused between the team itself. I can't say anything about Naruto at the moment as he is … well, you know … but I watched Sasuke as well as Sakura closely over the past days and … it's quite disturbing."

Sarutobi wanted to ask a question at that, but reconsidered in the last second and gestured his visitor to go on.

"Sakura, I am sure you already heard about, she was hysteric for days and would break down without provocation. What she saw, she didn't take it well. When she finally snapped out of it, I visited her at home. Wanted to speak to her about what happened. But she only asked me a question, without even looking at me. She asked if he was dead. If Naruto had died … at first I thought she was worried after witnessing what she did, and told her that he wasn't … and that was when the screaming began again. Tough with the difference that this time, she would scream for him to disappear … to just die. I guess she wants so desperately to forget that to know that she would never see him or anything like that again would be her only way back to normality. I don't think she will be able to stand Naruto's presence for too long, one or two hours maybe, after some time passed, but surely no missions which will take days of travelling together."

"Sasuke worries me even more. He felt the power, Hokage-sama, he saw it. Someone who calls himself an avenger before human experienced the so called dead-last, the weakling of the academy, releasing a power that exceeded even that of the one man he swore to kill by far. He may not have broken like Sakura, for that he experienced too much already, but … his thirst for power … it rose to a point where I am not really sure how to return him from … as at the same time his confidence to an even greater hit what makes him probably feel even more inferior than after what happened with Itachi. I fear that all this together may lead to him losing all of his self-control at one point, and the only outlet for him at this point would be –"

"Naruto"

Nodding in response, the man remained silent, as he knew that his leader understood what he was trying to tell him.

Pinching his nose, the old man slowly looked up to catch the other's eye as if searching for an answer. "What would you suggest should be done about this situation?"

"I thought about it for a while now and came only to one solution … Sasuke and Sakura are still capable to work together and given some time and help, they might be back to what they were before soon enough. Naruto tough … even if he won't be affected by what happened, the other two are … Sakura won't be able to go near him and Sasuke, I'm afraid, might at some point try to kill him. No, the only way to solve this is to remove Naruto from Team 7. Give him a sensei that could really help him, someone without a connection of the past or a grudge against him, one that can give him what he needs, one that can be there for him. And if that's not possible, exchange him with another genin, maybe an older one, this way he could learn from his new teammates and would be accepted, and Sasuke won't be provoked should he be beaten by another genin as it would be only logical for him to be more experienced."

Sarutobi closed his eyes; he knew the man was right; this was really the only solution, even tough he didn't like it. Not to think of how Naruto might react once he hears about the changes. "It will be difficult. Most older teams are balanced out and work very well together. Having one member removed or exchanged for a beginner will throw the team's dynamic out of the window, not to mention that I would need the consent of the leading jounin before taking such measures. Was it Sasuke it wouldn't be such a problem, but Naruto? As for a sensei for him alone … I know of one who would fit him, but I'm afraid that at the moment this kind of training would be the worst choice possible."

"But-"

Holding up his hand, Sarutobi interrupted the other and continued. "I will see what I can do, but it will take time. Until something can be arranged, Naruto will remain a part of Team 7. Also, the team will be stuck with D-rank missions for now. One per day, until we can be sure that they can accept each others presence. But keep your eye on them at every moment, or both if necessary, and report back should something happen. Who knows, maybe everything will be worked out until new arrangements are made. Are you alright with this, Kakashi-kun?"

Of course, the Hokage knew that this wasn't really what the jounin had hoped for, but he was content with the slight nod he received. More couldn't be expected in this situation.

"Take care, Kakashi-kun."

After standing up and giving another nod, the jounin formed a seal, seeing as the conversation had ended, and soon disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere hidden in the wilderness of the land of fire, a voice was heard, no louder than a whisper that broke through the darkness that surrounded it.

"Where am I?"

* * *

Ok, I have had a run today and wrote it immidiatly down. So ... here you are.

Here some help, in case you wonder:

**Elemental Cross** is my invention, so don't bother looking for it in manga or anime (not that I think you would, but just to be sure). I know it's not a very creative name, but all the others I came up with were just to long. Maybe I will change the name later on. For now bare with it. As for what it is: it will be explained later on in the story, for now it's some, well, you could say special place somewhere far outside of Konoha and well ... it's really just what it's called ... so, use your imagination.

Also, one of you wanted to know at the beginning, I think chapter 1, what's going on with Kakashi, if he knows something else. Well, here you are.

As for the storyline, in the last chapter the first steps of leaving behind the canon story were made, but this one kinda is the real turning point.

Enjoy reading!

* * *

Don't own Naruto.


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